


The Song of Gretchen Wilson

by Tezca



Category: Country Music RPF
Genre: F/F, Gen, M/M, RPF, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-03
Updated: 2012-06-03
Packaged: 2017-11-06 18:48:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/421990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tezca/pseuds/Tezca
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The downfall of her career turned out to be for the best in the long run.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Song of Gretchen Wilson

**Author's Note:**

> None of the people belong to me, and unbeta'd,

She signed to a record label in 2003, her debut single Redneck Woman was released the following year and reached the top of the charts, the success of the song prompted an early release of her 1st album. She performed with artists like Brooks and Dunn and Loretta Lynn. Her second album was also a success, so was her third with number 1 songs.She signed to a record label in 2003, her debut single Redneck Woman was released the following year and reached the top of the charts, the success of the song prompted an early release of her 1st album. She performed with artists like Brooks and Dunn and Loretta Lynn. Her second album was also a success, so was her third with number 1 songs.  
  
She also won multiple awards and even won a Grammy.  
  
So how she thinks, in more of a deep, contemplative way than an arrogant I-should’ve-been-a-megastar-I-deserve-it way one morning somewhere in some little town where the citizens didn’t really care who she used to be. How did she get from top new female artist to wondering around the country, going from job to job.  
  
Sure she still had her friends, but the Muzik Mafia officially broke up two years ago following an argument with the godfathers and herself, the only godmother. Mainly it was between John and Big Kenny, but they since settled their differences and currently touring right now with a new album.  
  
 _“Hey, we’re going on a worldwide tour,”  Big Kenny called, one day all excited, “It’s our first ever!”  
  
“Oh really? Great! I’ll be sure to catch one of your shows and meet up with you guys.” She feigned enthusiasm a little.  
_  
She wouldn’t be lying if she said she still harbors a little jealousy of her friends. Not the luxuries, she can get through just fine without them, except maybe her smartphone and her laptop. No she was more jealous of the fact that they still had a career of singing and touring and meeting fans and such.  
  
She misses the singing and performing, not that she doesn’t enjoy the occasional performance at the local bar, but she misses the rush, the adrenaline of going out on stage in front of thousands and thousands of people every night. Being under the stage lights as she starts to sing and the crowd starts cheering.   
  
She wonders from time to time if she was just rehashing the same old and trying to revive the success of her first single with some of her songs from her  last album. She tells herself she wasn’t, but sometimes she has doubts. They normally manifest after she starts thinking about what exactly happened other than you overstayed your welcome, please leave your key on your way out.  
  
 _“Gretchen guess what! Our New Year Eve party going to be televised!” John practically yelled into her ear, “We wished you were here though, party like we used to.”  
  
“Yeah, me too. I hope you guys have fun.”  
  
“We wanted to invite you, but they were afraid, the CMT producers, because of..well..”  
  
“I know.” She replied.  She knew what he was implying, they were afraid people wouldn’t want to watch a show with a washed up, old used performer, instead opting for something new and fresh.  
  
Awkward silence rang for a minute.  
  
“Well, are you gonna watch it?”_  
  
She lied, She felt like the personification of envy that night.   
  
She wasn’t too worried about the fame getting to her friends heads part, well except for John Rich. Big Kenny took a visit two months later(Liberty, Indiana being the latest city she traveled to). Big Kenny, and sometimes Cowboy Troy, would visit her whenever the schedule allowed for them. It was also known that he and John were dating, several years in fact. This time it was just Big Kenny.   
  
She almost dropped the plate when Kenny solemnly told her he was breaking up with John.  
  
She questions why and he tells her that John had changed over the years, more noticeably in the last year or so. His ego had grew and became more harder to control, now he wasn’t happy with the stone house he had built and the mansion he already owned back then when Big Kenny started living with him. Now he wanted his name plastered everywhere and not only that, but he didn’t exactly had the nicest impression on people.  
  
 _“I’ll be happy to reinstate our friendship and I wish him the best, but he’s becoming too much for me.” He had told her.  
  
“I..I understand. Maybe he’ll realize and calm down to around like he was in the early days.” She suggested as she sat next to him on the couch.  
  
“Somehow I kinda doubt that.” Came the semi-pessimistic reply.  
  
“So, what are you going to do then?”  
  
“Just keep making my music.” Big Kenny smiled, which in turn caused her to smile._  
  
The next several months consisted of more moving from town to another, more jobs, more struggling to get by. One thing she had going was creating a popular enough blog, a fictionalized account of her friends adventures in Nashville. The main characters were of course the Muzik Mafia members, but mostly on Kenny and John.   
  
Se decided to give the story a spin after Kenny told her about the breakup. She decided to write about John Rich’s fall from the metaphorical throne of fame and down to reality. She decided to base it around the Iron Man movies, cause when she thought about it, John reminded her of Tony Stark in some ways.  
  
Instead of an arc reactor, she had John get injured in a concert accident and the only way for him to survive was to become a half-cybernetic human. Big Kenny was of course the ever-suffering friend of his. They end up fighting crime of course, alongside the singing part, and they also rediscovered the love they had for each other.  
  
Big Kenny liked it and made sure to comment on every part. When she wrote about what she based it one, some of the fans started up funny discussions about who would win in a fight? Iron Man or The Cyber Cowboy. She had fun talking about it in the comments.  
  
One fan even drew a comic about the outcome, it was funny and someone apparently sent it to Robert Downey’s people, because she then received an email from him few weeks later saying that he liked it and said that Iron Man would so win.  
  
She replied back and they ended up keeping in touch every now and then via email. Turns out he had read all of the other parts before emailing her and told her it was very interesting.  
  
The time spent when she wasn’t writing up a new chapter of the on-going story had become boring to her. She wanted some more excitement in her life, not going into the police force type of excitement, but like going from town to town singing songs that you have written. Songs that other people can relate to. Or at least something similar; some more variety everyday is all she asks for.   
  
As per the deal when it comes to making something, there were always gonna be some people who didn’t like it. She took the criticism pretty well and learned about how she could improve on her stories. She would run polls on her blog every now and then on a idea she was having and wanted the fans input.  
  
The one criticism she didn’t expect was from John Rich himself, he thought she was slandering his reputation and making him to be some huge egotistical asshole when the fictional portrayal of him. She ended up being on the phone all night with Troy who was telling her that John was in deep denial and wouldn’t listen to anyone trying to tell him to cool it or what he did was stupid or whatever. He told her to just forget about John and continuing writing the story the way she has been.   
  
Before she hung up, she had asked him how Troy could handle being around John still. Troy had been telling her what happened in the last few months after she had calmed down with her issue earlier.  
  
 _“I honestly don’t know Gretchen, I honestly don’t know.” Troy said, before he hunged up._  
  
The next town she found herself at was at Los Angeles, the place where her life took a detour for the better, the place where she found the cure for her boredom, where she was thrusted into the excitement she had been craving since Nashville more or less kicked her out for someone more marketable.  
  
It all began when she began frequenting a well-known bar. She had met up with Robert Downey Jr for the first time(those fangirls were right, there is something to be said about his charm and looks) on the first chance he was able to. He took on the job of showing her Los Angeles and introducing her to some of his friends at said bar.   
  
“That’s Nicole Kidman, she starred in a movie with me years ago, and that’s Brad Paisley and his husband Keith Urban, got married so Keith can stay in the US. Their both musicians here, and that person over there is not an actor, but just an all-around nice lovable person.  
  
Gretchen just nodded and smiled as she listened to Robert. They both sat down at the bar and they had been talking for a bit when she couldn’t help but feel the tall looking woman down at the end was looking at her.  
  
She was telling Robert more of her story before she asked who was the woman that looked like had a interest in her,  
  
“Oh that’s Terri Clark, used to be a country singer. Became an actress. She is very good, in fact she gonna co-star with me in my next film.  
  
“Oh,” She said, only vaguely remembering her as a country singer. She knew she was big in the 90’s and such, but she hasn’t really been keeping track of her career, only knowing her more from some of the movies she watched in the past.  
  
“I think she likes you haha, she’s flirting at you.” Robert said, chuckling as he took a drink of his non-alcoholic drink.  
“She what? Why? I mean we haven’t really met and she probably doesn’t even know my name,” She started rambling on a bit. She kept going on not noticing that Terri had left her seat and was walking towards them.  
  
“Hello Robert, hello Ms. Redneck Women.” She smiled, as Gretchen turn around in surprise, For some reason she didn’t expect Terri to be, well, this tall and how much does she excercise at the gym?  
  
“Um hello.” Gretchen wasn’t expecting to be recognized because of her singing career, in fact she was a little surprised. If anything most people nowadays know her from the blog she does online.  
  
“So what brings you to Hollywood?” Terri asked next. Dang, the same thing can be said for her she thought, attractive, looks good in dark clothes, and charming.  
  
“I...don’t know. I’ve been going around the country for 3 years now, my country music career isn’t exactly alive right now.”  
  
“That’s a shame, no wonder I haven’t heard about you in a while. Why don’t you try acting,”  
  
She hesitates about the acting, but she ends up going on a date with her. Two days from now, she isn’t sure why she agreed when she only just met her that night. She even wasn’t really thinking about dating in general, ever since the break-up from her ex a few years ago. Still she decided to give a shot, even if they just ended up as friends she can at least say she gave it a shot.  
  
She still is reluctant to try acting, she tells Terri that she thinks she is not a good actresses and such. Gretchen goes on more dates with Terri and learns more about her every time. Like she was born in Canada, but moved to Nashville with she was 18. How she wanted to be a singer at first and that is what she did for about a decade. The acting part came slow, only a part here and there, but then she was bitten as they say and she was happy to manage doing both, recording music and acting. Much like how Dwight Yoakam did the same thing.   
  
Terri told her it was only in recent years that her acting career is starting to overshadow her music career. She tells her it’s fine, she still makes music on the side. Apparently Robert has also started doing another album too(It’s his third one, I’m actually doing a duet with him she tell her).  
  
Gretchen falls in love with her, and falls in love with her acting after watching most of the films she was in. Terri laughs when Gretchen tells her about her acting and that she thought she was really good. She jokes asking if she was related to Robert, as they both had really good albums and movies.  
  
“So how did you two meet?” Gretchen asked one day, a few months later at an afterparty.  
  
“On the set of my first movie, my first lead actually. It was a risk because I wasn’t known yet as an actress, but the movie ended up becoming a breakthrough and catapulted my acting job up higher. It also helped Robert’s too.” Terri explained.  
  
Terri finished her drink before asking how she was finding all the different promotions and such for the movie she filmed last year.  
  
“Oh I’m fine, I mean it’s a different experience, but I had fun. I’m not feeling bored anymore.” Gretchen answered, as they both laughed.  
  
“I’m sure you’re not anymore. What do you say we leave early and we go catch a movie?”  
  
“Oh sure. That would be fun.”  
  
She isn’t sure when she and Terri had started becoming serious, but it didn’t really matter. All that mattered was that for the first time she felt happy. Terri hired her to be her assistant so she can be around her on the sets of her movies.   
  
They were in Terri’s hometown of Medicine Hat, for the filming of a movie about an ex-forensic officer who takes off with a fugitive. It was the movie Robert was talking about months earlier back at the bar.   
  
“You know what my dad was originally gonna name me?” Gretchen was talking with Robert’s assistant, whose name was very close to an old friend of hers  
  
She had met him before, usually at a movie set or at a party or whatever.  
  
“No what?” They were both watching their bosses do a scene while they were on the sidelines.  
  
“Take a guess Gretch.”  
  
“Jake Rich?”  
  
“John Rich,” That of course caused her to do a spit take.  
  
“Really?” She said, half-disbelieving. She had told him stories about some of her old friends and it turned out that it was more likely that someone knew more about John Rich’s behavior than his music at the present time. That doesn’t really surprise her.  
  
“Oh yeah. My mom convinced my dad to name me James, which in turn led to Jimmy.”  
  
Gretchen just chuckled at that, “I see.”  
  
“Hmm I guess it was a good thing after you told me about John.” He smiled, before turning back to watch the actors and sip his drink.  
  
“Yeah haha, but it is similar.”  
  
“But different enough and it helps that Rich is already a common surname so less chance of me being mistaken for John.”  
  
“True.”  
  
Terri has a busy summer, after spending a few weeks giving interviews and a short break she would be in Nashville filming, co-starring in another movie. John called Gretchen right after he found out she would be in Nashville for about a month and half.  
  
She wound up being invited to a party of his. It was at the coffeemaker stone house that John had built years ago. She had nothing better too, her girlfriend was busy filming and Big Kenny was in New York City.   
  
She doesn’t remember John being so....flashy, he had on a white fur coat, cowboy hat and shiny jewelry. She was sitting at the bar downing some beer when he walked up to her.  
  
It started out civil enough, the conversation, they both greeted each other and told what’s been going on. It wasn’t until she asked later that night after watching John dance with what looked like a harem of girls around him why he invited her.  
  
“Because you’re one of my friends.” He replied, laughing.  
  
“Yeah, but I just though you didn’t want anything to do with me after you told me what you thought blog.”  
  
“Oh that, don’t worry about that Gretch, that was in the past. You see I realize something after I called you. About two days after.”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“I came to the conclusion that you were just jealous that your career is no more and ours kept skyrocketing.”  
  
“What? No! What the hell are you talking about? I’m not jealous,” She exclaimed in a what the fuck are you talking about tone of voice. It certainly took John aback a bit but he composed himself quickly. “I admit I was just a little fucking bit, but that was way before I started that blog, more in the early days!”  
  
She doesn’t really remember what happened next, all she knows was that she was sitting in the back of a police car in handcuffs  Apparently she had gotten into a huge shouting match that led to a fight, that would explain the pain in her stomach.   
  
She was playing cards with another inmate in the holding cell when Terri arrived to bail her out.  
  
“They told me you gave John a black eye.” She said, as Gretchen walked up to the bars.  
  
“Yeah I did, Felt good actually,” She admitted to the taller women, “I feel better.”  
  
The warden came and unlocked the door to let Gretchen out. They both walked outside to where the next scene was going to be set at. Terri got the call earlier right when they were almost ready, the director told her to go ahead and bail her out since it was gonna be a bit before her scene.  
  
“The other guy in the cell, he told me there was gonna be songs written about what I did tonight, books will be written and movies made.”  
  
Terri laughed, “Oh really? I’m guessing John is not that well-liked here huh?”  
  
“Nope. Some people say he’s like the the unlikable Tony Stark haha.”  
  
“I think I would rather be stuck on a island somewhere with Tony Stark than John Rich.” Terri then commented causing the other women to laughed.  
  
“I think we both prefer that. Plus he can fly us out of there to safety.”  
  
“But what if he doesn’t have his suit?”  
  
“Then we’re fucked.”  
  
“Hahaha.”  
  
Terri surprised her some nights later with a proposal. It was after the last day of shooting had wrapped up and the cast and crew were all out celebrating. They were having dinner when Terri had stood up to make an announcement, and thats when she brought out the ring and presented it to her. She said yes and the wedding date came two months later.  
  
Big Kenny called apologizing profusely for not being there and she told in that was find, it was understandable, he and Robert had apparently met up in NYC months earlier and they were dating at the time Kenny called her.  
  
“I’m sorry, it’s just today happens to be the launch date of our year long tour and...”  
  
“Its fine Big Kenny really,: She interjected right when she heard some rustling noises in the background, “What’s going on there?”  
  
“Oh that? Robert misplaced the ring he was gonna give me tonight.”  
  
“Found it!” Robert;s voice rang in the background causing her to laugh to herself.  
  
“Wait? You mean...”  
  
“Yep, he wanted to do it on stage, but he couldn’t find it so he felt bad and came out with the plan, I told hm that we can do it at the next show and I already told him the answer is gonna be yes so we’re getting married.”  
  
“Congratulations Kenny! Well I would damn make sure we’ll be there at your wedding.”  
  
“Haha thanks,” Kenny said, pausing before changing the topic, “So..um..how is John doing?”  
  
“Oh we don’t talk to each other anymore, Not after what he said to me at the party and me punching him.”  
  
“Yeah I figured. Well have a great wedding.”  
  
“Thanks, have a great concert.”  
  
She and Terri were laying down in their bed in their Hollywood home, They had been kissing each and rubbing their hands all over and before she knew it, she fell asleep lying on top of an already sleeping Terri’s chest. Gretchen woke up the next day to the sound of breathing. Her wife had woken up some 20 minutes earlier and just didn’t want to disturb her.  
  
“Hey there sleepyhead,” Terri said, kissing her on the forehead, “Had a good night sleep.”  
  
“Yeah I did. I just had a dream though.”  
  
“Really? What was it? Was anyone naked haha,”  
  
Gretchen laughed before replying, “No, It was just John Rich becoming too egotistical, thinking everyone should listen to him so he ran for office and somewhere along the way he got thrown off his pedestal and put in his place.”  
  
“Oh I see. Well that probably came about due do you telling me that guilty wish of yours. That you wish to see his downfall from glory.”  
  
“Yeah probably, who knows,” She stated, before looking up at Terri, “Do you think he’ll ever get put in his place?”  
  
Terri just shrugged, “I don’t know."  
  
Robert came to their house 6 months later, looking frantic for the most part. The girls were spending the day watching tv when they heard a series of rapid knocks. According to him Big Kenny had run into John Rich the other day.  
  
“...and he never gets into fights, he told me that a long time ago that he tries to avoid situations where a fight might occur, but he doesn’t know what happened that night, and now John is in the hospital and my fiance might be in jail for 6 months!”  
  
Robert kept rambling on while he was pacing the floor and Terri had to calm him down. Gretchen was surprised though that Mr. Love Everybody would end up getting mad enough to actually punch someone. She knew everyone had a breaking point, but still she knew Big Kenny had always tried very hard not to let his anger get the best of him.  
  
“I won’t get to see him for 6 months...”   
  
“Relax, this is his first offense. Maybe he’ll get a lesser sentence or something.” Gretchen suggested.  
  
“I know, but I’m gonna miss him a lot. I mean 6 months is a long time, it’s the same as a half a year, I don’t know how I’m gonna spend those months.”  
  
“You will, you have promotions to do, films to star in, concerts to sing at.” Terri stated, as Gretchen nodded.  
  
“The concerts are gonna be cancelled due to the jail part, but the other two, yeah you right.”  
  
“There you go, besides you can visit him.”  
  
“I can?”  
  
“Yes, you can go see him as much as they let you.”  
  
“I haven’t thought of that, you’ll think that I would having played smart guys like Tony Stark and Sherlock Holmes, but that hasn’t crossed my mind,” Robert exclaimed, happily as he started headed towards the door, “Thank you girls. I’m gonna go arrange a visit right now.”  
  
Terri was busy doing something at an event on the day Gretchen paid one of her visits to Big Kenny. She arrived at the place where the visits took place in the prison. She noticed Robert was there too as she walked up.  
  
“Hey, sorry I’m a little late.” She said, sitting next to Robert.  
  
“Oh that’s fine, it’s nice to see you again Gretch.” Big Kenny replied.  
  
“Thanks. You look nice in orange.” She commented, causing him to laugh.  
  
“Yeah he does I agree, he looks good in anything,” Robert added, “We were discussing which name I should take after we get married when you came in, I’m thinking either Robert Downey-Alphin, Robert Alphin, or he takes my last name."  
  
“Hmm I like the first one, but technically would it be Robert Elias-Alphin? Your dad change it to Downey but legally...”  
  
Yeah, but then no one will recognize me, more people know me as Robert Downey.Jr.   
  
Big Kenny meanwhile was getting amused by the little back and fourth conversation the other two were in.  
  
“You know Elias is a nice name.” He said, causing Robert to face him from across the table.

  


“You think so?”  
  
“Yeah, and I think all of the choices you mentioned earlier are fine. It’s really up to you.” Kenny stated, planting a quick kiss on Robert’s lips.  
  
She knows two things now as she watches Robert walk the aisle a month after Kenny was released. She was standing next to Terri as she watched him walk down and then up the altar to where Big Kenny was waiting.   
  
One, Robert decided his married name would be Robert Downey-Alphin, Two, she can honestly tell someone if prompted that she felt the happiest now in her life. That maybe it was a good thing in a way that her singing career took a dive. She would’ve probably never met the love of her life, never met the friends she had made in Hollywood and she might’ve not been happy at this point.  
  
Everyone clapped and cheered as the two men kissed and Kenny being Kenny had decided to carry Robert bridal style as they ran out the door to the waiting car.  
  
Gretchen then planted a kiss on Terri after watching the car speed away, “I’m so happy to have met you Terri, you made me really happy. I love you.”  
  
“I love you too.”   



End file.
